Saudi Cup recognized by Guinness World Records

RIYADH: The 2022 Saudi Cup has been recognized with a Guinness World Record for holding the largest prize fund in the world for a single horse race, coming in at $20 million.

“We are happy with this achievement and I would like to stress that the successive achievements of the club would not have been possible without the constant support of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman,” Marwan Abdulrahman Al-Olayan, the CEO of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said.

During the award ceremony on Saturday, the club was recognized by the Guinness World Records for the race held on Feb. 26 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh.

Al-Olayan received the award from Ahmed Bujairi, official judge of the Guinness World Records.

“I would like to extend my thanks to Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al-Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, for his constant guidance to me and my colleagues in the club, and I also congratulate all my colleagues in the club for their great efforts in achieving all the achievements of the club,”Al-Olayan said.

The 2022 Saudi Cup featured 240 horses from 16 countries that competed for a total of $35.1 million.

Prince Saud bin Salman Abdul Aziz’s horse, Emblem Road, came in first and took home the $20 million purse.

The previous award holder for the world’s largest prize fund for a single horse race was the Dubai World Cup held at the Meydan Racecourse in March 2010.

“We are very pleased with the club’s successive achievements. There is no doubt that everyone appreciates the great status of the Guinness World Records with its great history. We want to tell the world that we have a lot in Saudi Arabia to offer to serve the whole world, and that what happened in horse racing is a success